Basic meringue
Think meringue is too fiddly or time consuming to make from scratch for a pavlova or roulade? Think again! You’re just three ingredients away from making perfect meringues every time, with this easy basic meringue recipe.
Then as soon as you’re feeling like a pro, be inspired by the recipes in our best meringue collection – over 30 to browse.
-
Serves 6
-
Hands-on time 15 min, oven time 1 hour 15 min-1 hour 30min, plus cooling
Before you start
It’s really important to make sure your bowl is spotlessly clean when whisking egg whites – even a tiny amount of grease will stop the whites from stiffening up. It’s best to avoid plastic bowls as they’re the most likely to harbour fats or oils from a previous recipe.
Wondering whether the sugar has been properly mixed into your egg whites? Take a pinch of mixture and rub it between your thumb and finger – if it feels grainy, it needs mixing a little more.
If you want a neater finish to your meringues, transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a wide nozzle and pipe it onto the baking tray.
Ingredients
- 3 large, organic egg whites
- 175g white caster sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Preheat the oven to 140°C/fan120°C/gas 1. In a large, grease-free mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. While continuously whisking, slowly add the caster sugar – 1 tbsp at a time – until you have a stiff, glossy meringue mixture. Whisk in the vanilla extract until combined.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper, fixing it in place with a tiny blob of meringue in each corner (we have a short video showing this technique). Using a metal spoon, place 6 craggy dollops of meringue on the baking paper, well spaced apart.
- Bake for 1¼ hours for mallowy centres, or 1½ hours if you prefer crisper meringues. Peel off the baking paper, then transfer the mallowy meringues to a wire rack to cool, or leave the crisp ones in the turned-off oven for at least 4 hours to cool slowly, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Recipe from June 2007 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 121kcals
- Fat
- trace (trace saturated)
- Protein
- 1.6g
- Carbohydrates
- 30.6g (30.6g sugars)
- Salt
- 0.1g
FAQs
When should you use French meringue?
It is best to use French meringue when the meringue will be cooked further, either on a pie or to make crisp meringues (for nests, shards etc). If not cooking further, you should use Swiss or Italian meringue.
What are the 3 types of meringue?
French, Swiss, Italian (there are others but these are considered the main ones). French meringue is made with raw egg whites and sugar. Swiss meringue is made when eggs and sugar are cooked together before being whipped to cool (this type or meringue is the most dense and more stable than French meringue). Italian meringue is made with a hot sugar syrup being added to whipped egg whites. This cooks the eggs and creates the most stable of all three meringue types.
Do you need cream of tartar for meringue?
No, but it can help to stabilise the egg whites.
What is the difference between meringue and pavlova?
Meringue is crisp and might have a chewy centre (depending on how long it's cooked for) while pavlova has the addition of cornflour and vinegar, resulting in a thinner crust and a soft mallow middle.
How do I make my meringue chewy?
Cook for less time. The less cooking, the more chewy it will be in the centre.
What does vinegar do for meringue?
It makes a stable foam so that the meringue better holds its shape (same as creme of tartar and lemon juice aka acid).
delicious. tips
To make these meringues into nests, make the recipe up until the end of step 2 (dolloping the meringues onto the lined baking sheet). Using the back of a metal spoon, press the centre of each meringue down, making a shallow hollow and creating a ‘nest effect’. Continue with step 3.
Buy ingredients online
Rate & review
Rate
Reviews
Share a tip
Save recipe
Almond recipes
Almond cheesecake meringue nests
Scoops of pillowy amaretto-spiked mascarpone top golden sugar meringue nests...
-
Easy
Save recipe
Chocolate cake recipes
Chocolate meringue cake
If you love your desserts chocolatey, this recipe from Tarunima...
-
Medium
Save recipe
Festive desserts
Brown-sugar meringues with hazelnut butterscotch sauce
Can you make meringues with brown sugar? Yes you can....
-
Easy
Save recipe
Blackcurrant recipes
Little coffee pavlovas
”This may seem like a strange combination but it works...
-
Easy
Save recipe
Chocolate dessert recipes
Chocolate meringue pie
Fancy a change from lemon meringue? Then try this. A...
-
Medium
Save recipe
Festive desserts
Coconut pavlova
This light-as-air coconut pavlova makes the perfect refreshing dessert for...
-
Medium
Meringue recipes
Crisp on the outside with a soft inside...
Pavlova recipes
A pavlova is a simple but impact-giving dessert...
Dinner party dessert recipes
Impress, astound and delight with our dinner party...
Make-ahead dessert recipes
Browse our best make-ahead dessert recipes – all...
Retro puddings
Get all nostalgic with our collection of retro...
Christmas spice recipes
Get grinding those festive spice blends...the flavour of...
Subscribe to our magazine
Food stories, skills and tested recipes, straight to your door... Enjoy 5 issues for just £5 with our special introductory offer.
Subscribe
Unleash your inner chef
Looking for inspiration? Receive the latest recipes with our newsletter
[…] meringues and passionfruit pulp – these are optional (for decorating the […]
[…] lovely recipe from Delicious has changed my meringue game. With a handy tip to cook for 1.25hrs for chewy, mallowy textures or […]
Tried meringue before and not had a lot of success, but this was spot on first time.
My first time making meringue and this recipe worked perfectly, thank u!
Very good app will thought out app
More recipies please
I’ve tried lots of meringue recipes before, that haven’t worked so well, but this one works extremely well! The secret seems to be to add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, and whisk well inbetween. The meringues puffed up beautifully (and stayed that way), and were lovely and crisp on the outside, slightly soft in the centre. I left some in the oven (switched off after cooking) overnight, and they came out completely crisp, all the way through.
I love this recipe because I had never mastered meringue until I tried this!